Facebook

Pitchers of the day
King starter Matt O’Malley pitched 61/3 innings and allowed four hits and no earned runs while striking out three. When he left in the seventh, the score was tied. … Steinbrenner junior Logan LaPace pitched three scoreless innings and didn’t allow a hit to earn the win. … Chamberlain P Trajan Rodriguez pitched a complete game and struck out four.

Hitters of the day
Even though he went 1-for-4, Steinbrenner CF Kevin Merrell put the ball in play with a one-ball, two-strike count, and a routine ground ball to shortstop turned into an infield single and the winning run. … Robinson leadoff hitter Josh Jenkins was 3-for-4 with three singles, and he also scored on the Brooks-DeBartolo balk that gave Steinbrenner the Pool D title by virtue of the tiebreaker system. … Brooks-DeBartolo CF Ronal Perdomo went 4-for-4 with a double and three singles, RBIs and runs scored. … Hillsborough SS Tony Jones went 3-for-3 with a double and run scored.

Defensive gems of the day
With no outs and men on first and second in the bottom of the seventh, O’Malley called his infield together. When the next batter, Merrell, laid a bunt down the third-base line, 3B Brett Morales charged, scooped, turned and fired to Pedro to nail the lead runner. King didn’t allow a run in that inning. … Hillsborough LF Nick Winston made a diving catch for the initial out of the first inning and threw the ball in quick enough to double off the runner at first.

Did you know?
Steinbrenner advanced to the Saladino quarterfinals for the first time in the school’s three-year history, and the Warriors are going thanks to an extra-inning, walkoff win — and a questionable call — that gave them the Pool D tiebreaker over King and Brooks-DeBartolo. The bases were loaded thanks to three straight hit by pitches with two outs, and Merrell hit a grounder to shortstop Pedro, who fielded it cleanly and threw to second baseman Tanner Williams. The umpire, though called Steinbrenner DH Cole Gordon safe as he slid into second, much to the dismay of King coach James Macaluso.

Dugout chatter
“Usually that’s a bang-bang play. You usually see that they’re going to call him out because it’s so close.” — Macaluso on the last play of the game, which gave Steinbrenner the win and the right to advance as the Pool D champion
“Please get to second, please get to second, beat the throw.” — Gordon, on what was going through his head as he slid safely into second base